Potato Gnocchi with Tomato-Mint Sauce
For light, fluffy gnocchi, bake and thoroughly mash the potatoes so they require the least possible amount of flour to form a coherent dough.
Gather Your Ingredients
GnocchiKey Equipment
Before You Begin
To insure that gnocchi are the right texture, bring a small saucepan of water to simmer while mixing the dough. Roll a small piece of the dough into the rope shape. Cut off a small piece or two from the rope, shape them into gnocchi, then drop them into the simmering water. If the gnocchi are too mushy, put the dough rope back into the potato mixture and add in another tablespoon or two of flour. It’s better to take the time to test one or two gnocchi than to ruin the whole batch. Also, be careful not to overwork or overknead the dough; you simply want to incorporate the flour into the potatoes. Avoid cooking the gnocchi at a rolling boil since violently churning water makes it difficult to determine when the gnocchi are floating. Even gently boiling gnocchi may bob temporarily to the surface, but don’t lift them out until they float. Two cups of any smooth tomato sauce can be used with a full recipe of gnocchi.
Instructions
1.
FOR GNOCCHI: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes until a metal skewer slides easily through them, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size.
2.
Hold potato with a pot holder or kitchen towel and peel it with a vegetable peeler or paring knife (see illustration 1); rice peeled potato into a large bowl. Peel and rice remaining potatoes. Cool until potatoes are no longer hot, about 15 minutes.
3.
Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt over warm potatoes. Using your hands, work mixture into a soft, smooth dough. If dough is sticky (which is often the case), add more flour as needed, up to 1 1/2 cups total.
4.
Roll about one-quarter of dough into a long 3/4-inch-thick rope (illustration 2). If rope won’t hold together (illustration 3), return it to bowl with remaining dough and work in more flour as needed. Repeat until all dough is rolled.
5.
Cut rope of dough into 3/4-inch lengths (illustration 4). Holding butter paddle or fork in one hand, press each piece of cut dough against ridged surface with index finger to make an indentation in center. Roll dough down and off ridges and allow it to drop to work surface (illustrations 5, 6, and 7). (Gnocchi can be placed in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerated for several hours. Or, baking sheet can be placed in freezer for about 1 hour. Partially frozen gnocchi can be transferred to plastic bag or container, sealed, and frozen for up to 1 month.)
6.
FOR SAUCE: Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook over medium heat until vegetables soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and mint. Simmer until sauce thickens and vegetables soften completely, about 30 minutes. Puree sauce in food processor or blender. Adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary, and keep sauce warm.
7.
TO FINISH: Bring 4 quarts of water to low boil in large pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt or to taste. Add about one-third of the gnocchi and cook until they float, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes (about 3 minutes for frozen gnocchi). Retrieve gnocchi with slotted spoon and transfer to warm, shallow serving bowl or platter. Repeat cooking process with remaining gnocchi. Gently toss with tomato sauce and serve immediately with cheese passed separately.
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